No. 3 Butler travels to Augusta to meet No. 1 Laney in a game that will determine the early leader in Region 3-AAA. Butler (14-1) has won nine straight, while Laney (13-1) comes in riding a 13-game winning streak.
Laney brings a balanced attack led by senior Jashawn Brooks, who averages 12.8 points and five rebounds. Brooks, a 6-foor-3 wing was the MVP of the Berkmar Invitational that the Wildcats won.
Butler’s offense revolves around guard Don Coleman, a 6-foot senior who has signed with Florida Atlantic. Coleman is a deadly scorer; he averages 24.3 points, along with 2.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals. He scored 21 against Westside on Tuesday.
While Butler and Laney are the top dogs in Region 3, both must still contend with Washington County (8-4) and Josey (8-4). Butler beat the Washington County by six on Dec. 19, but the Golden Hawks were missing its football players, particularly A.J. Gray. Butler defeated Josey on Dec. 16 in Augusta.
Elsewhere ...
In an important game in Region 4-AAA, No. 10 Blessed Trinity (12-2) puts a nine-game winning streak on the line against rival Westminster (11-4), who have won five straight.
Girls
No. 1 Kendrick (16-0) travels to Fort Valley for a game with No. 8 Peach County (11-2), which hasn't lost since an embarrassing 86-44 loss to Kendrick on Dec. 2. The fast-paced Kendrick team averages 73.6 points and is led by Taylor Farley (11.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 steals) and Melia Jones (12.4 points, 3.0 steals). Peach County is led by junior Nausia Woolfolk, who averages 25 points and 6.3 rebounds.
No. 4 Decatur (14-1) will put its 11-game winning streak on the line against Therrell (11-4), winners of four straight. The Bulldogs are paced by speedy guard Jayla Morrow, who averages 19.2 points and is closing in on the 1,000-point career mark. Therrell brings a balanced attack that features three seniors who average double figures: Taylor Terry (14.5), Toiryn Hunter (13.6) and Josella Pearson (12.3). Terry leads the team with 11.9 rebounds per game.
No. 7 Dodge County (10-1) will try to extend its winning streak to five games when it travels to play Beach (11-5) in Savannah. The Indians are led by Rachel Selph, a 6-2 senior who averages 13.1 points and 9.2 rebounds and Keyria Gordon, who averages 12.8 points and 6.9 rebounds. Beach is led by senior Jacqueline Anderson, who averages 17.1 points and. 3.8 assists.
Savannah boys nip Johnson
The No. 7 Savannah boys beat No. 6 Johnson 53-51 at Savannah State on Wednesday to break a three-game losing streak to their city rival. The game was another classic between the two longtime powers.
Savannah used an 18-5 run to take a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter, only to have Johnson claw their way back into the game. The Atom Smashers worked their way into a position to take the final shot and Rajah Bush just missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Savannah improved to 10-5 and remained perfect (6-0) in Region 1 competition. The Blue Jackets were led by Jermaine Williams and Zion Williams, who each scored 17. Johnson (12-3, 3-2) was led by Dashawn Loadholt with 15 and Antwan Maxwell with 13.
Johnson had beaten Savannah last month in the final of the Savannah Holiday Classic. The two clubs meet again on Jan. 24.
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